It’s said that whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting, but the site of the old Dowling Brothers distillery in Burgin has seen its share of battles over the years.
1871 to 1920: The Moores and the Dowlings
The original D.L. Moore Distillery predates the establishment of Burgin by three years. Moore built the distillery in 1871 on the Shawnee River, according to Sam Cecil, author of “Bourbon: The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey.” Moore’s distillery was the driving force behind the inception and development of Burgin. While Temple Burgin—the city’s namesake—owned the land on the south side of the railroad while Moore and John Huguely owned the land on the north. George Chinn, in his “The History of Harrodsburg and " the Great Settlement …show more content…
Even though the “Waterfill & Frazier” bourbon she made was supposedly intended for the South American market, her distillery was so close to the American border that a lot of it ended up north of the border. Dowling died in 1930, but the D.W. Distillery in Juarez stayed in business for years. In 1964, writes Chuck Cowdery in “The Bourbon Review” Kentucky Congressmen used political pressure to force the Treasury Department to amend the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits so that it read that “the word ‘bourbon’ shall not be used to describe any whisky or whisky-based distilled spirits not produced in the United …show more content…
Potter, Jenna Meglen, the authors of “Wicked Newport: Kentucky’s Sin City” was the gambling capital of the U.S. Just like Las Vegas, Newport was a machine built for the separation of the sucker from his money, and the oil that made the machine work was alcohol provided by middlemen like the Goulds and their friend, Lewis Rosenstiel, who, during Prohibition, bought up distilleries licensed to sell liquor for “medicinal purposes.”
“They were all in cahoots together,” said Shirlie Isaacs. The Goulds had purchased the land for their new distillery from her aunt and uncle, Lizzie and Wesley Merriman. Isaacs’ father, Henry J. Bradford, is named on the original deed. He became head of maintenance in 1940 and worked there the rest of his life. “He was the last employee they ever had,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs remembers riding her bicycle on the distillery grounds and visiting Herbert Dowling in his office. She knew both Gould brothers and their wives.
In 1946, the Goulds sold out to Schenley Distilleries, Inc. for $10 million. Robert Gould was facing six years in prison and a $250,000 fine for selling whiskey above the World War II price caps set by the Federal government. Gould protested his innocence all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but
1871 to 1920: The Moores and the Dowlings
The original D.L. Moore Distillery predates the establishment of Burgin by three years. Moore built the distillery in 1871 on the Shawnee River, according to Sam Cecil, author of “Bourbon: The Evolution of Kentucky Whiskey.” Moore’s distillery was the driving force behind the inception and development of Burgin. While Temple Burgin—the city’s namesake—owned the land on the south side of the railroad while Moore and John Huguely owned the land on the north. George Chinn, in his “The History of Harrodsburg and " the Great Settlement …show more content…
Even though the “Waterfill & Frazier” bourbon she made was supposedly intended for the South American market, her distillery was so close to the American border that a lot of it ended up north of the border. Dowling died in 1930, but the D.W. Distillery in Juarez stayed in business for years. In 1964, writes Chuck Cowdery in “The Bourbon Review” Kentucky Congressmen used political pressure to force the Treasury Department to amend the Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits so that it read that “the word ‘bourbon’ shall not be used to describe any whisky or whisky-based distilled spirits not produced in the United …show more content…
Potter, Jenna Meglen, the authors of “Wicked Newport: Kentucky’s Sin City” was the gambling capital of the U.S. Just like Las Vegas, Newport was a machine built for the separation of the sucker from his money, and the oil that made the machine work was alcohol provided by middlemen like the Goulds and their friend, Lewis Rosenstiel, who, during Prohibition, bought up distilleries licensed to sell liquor for “medicinal purposes.”
“They were all in cahoots together,” said Shirlie Isaacs. The Goulds had purchased the land for their new distillery from her aunt and uncle, Lizzie and Wesley Merriman. Isaacs’ father, Henry J. Bradford, is named on the original deed. He became head of maintenance in 1940 and worked there the rest of his life. “He was the last employee they ever had,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs remembers riding her bicycle on the distillery grounds and visiting Herbert Dowling in his office. She knew both Gould brothers and their wives.
In 1946, the Goulds sold out to Schenley Distilleries, Inc. for $10 million. Robert Gould was facing six years in prison and a $250,000 fine for selling whiskey above the World War II price caps set by the Federal government. Gould protested his innocence all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but